Hughes talks personal mental health struggle

By Jessica Dempsey

March 23, 2017 4:25 PM

Four-time Olympic medalist, Clara Hughes, made a stop in the Border City on Wednesday night, for a presentation at the Vic Juba Community Theatre, to share her story and the struggles she has dealt with in regards to mental health. Tyler Marr/Meridian Booster

Healing Hughes

The returning winter weather didn’t stop a sold-out crowd from coming out to hear Clara Hughes speak at the Vic Juba Community Theatre Wednesday night.

The six-time Olympic medalist stopped in the Border City once again, while she shared her story and struggles she has overcome dealing with mental health.

“Where there is darkness there is light, and where there is weakness there is strength,” said Hughes. “I’m a person with depression and went on to win four Olympic medals, and when I look in the community, I met so many people tonight who told me their stories.”

After the Clara Hughes - Her Story Behind the Spotlight presentation, people lined up to receive her autograph, take a photo and just tell their story to the multi-seasoned Olympian.

“It was amazing to see everyone come out for mental health and mental wellness. This conversation is really just starting to unfold in a really powerful way, and this community, I’m just so proud to be a part of it, a part of what is unfolding. It means the world to me,” said Hughes.

Earlier in the day, she spoke with Grade 11 students from the Lloydminster Catholic School Division and the Lloydminster Public School Division. Three students joined her on stage and interviewed her as others watched.

“They made the event, I think, really accessible to all their classmates, because they were on stage, they were running the show, and they got really creative with their questions. At the end, they were really freestyling with everything and we had a really good conversation. I think everybody came away with something,” Hughes noted.

In her presentation, she mentioned support systems being a big part of her recovery and something she relies on every day, which Hughes said she saw right here in the Border City.

“Here in Lloydminster the regional health foundation has some awesome programs that are unfolding,” she said making note of the community mindfulness offered by the foundation.

“If I lived in this town I would go to that because it’s an outlet to learn about yourself, to heal and to also be with people that will get it,” said Hughes.

Bringing Hughes back to the Border City has been in the making for 18 months, according to Wendy Plandowski, CEO of the Lloydminster Region Health Foundation. Along with hundreds of students getting to see her presentation and the sold-out crowd, she was proud it was a hit.

“Clara’s message, one of the things that makes it so powerful is that I don’t think people realized those keywords that she said was her weakness, was what made her so strong,” said Plandowski.

Hughes has been part of many initiatives throughout her career such as Right to Play and the Bell Let’s Talk campaign.

Bell Let’s Talk had a record-breaking year in 2016 with a total of 131,705,010 interactions, which raised $6,585,250.50 in funding for Canadian mental health programs.

“Being a part of the Bell Let’s Talk Campaign has been just huge for me, because it gave me an outlet to share my story,” Hughes said. “It’s not just one person, it’s not just one story, it is the cornucopia, like a treasure chest of stories, knowledge, strength and wisdom that is being shared.”

In the end, Hughes said she hoped the audience came away with the realization that mental health is something everyone has, and mental illness can affect everyone.

“I know so many people who have struggled with their mental health, but when a person can get support and be encouraged and have access to care and treatment, you can come back to life and you can do really great things in life as someone who lives with these health conditions,” she said.

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